But those who know me well think that it is the 'chemicals'. I noticed that myself. I tend to be downright spacey for a bit after applying 2,4-D. I do wear gloves, but not a mask. I've learned to stand upwind in a light breeze or do it on a perfectly windstill day. My cousin worked for a franchise of a large commercial operation that shall remain nameless (but rhymes with Stem Dawn). His upshot was that you might as well not bother, do it yourself, and actually get a decent job done. They move too fast, do things when their schedule permits (not the one that's correct for the lawn or weeds) and frankly don't do a very good job. My next-door neighbor used (a different franchise of) them and is extremely disappointed. The weeds are flourishing. The grass is not. I talked him into going organic by standing on my thriving (if not perfect or very dark) lawn while he cooled his heels on his packed, dead, tapped-out clay. Prepare to be assimilated.

There's a lot of low-cost ISPs around. I've known a couple people who used PeoplePC and were satisfied but left for broadband. I think they're a bit "spendy" even, since I'm paying less than $5/mo. Let's face facts folks, this myth about "tech support" on anything is mostly a myth. I get free email support. Basically all most anyone would need. Otherwise you'll pay more, either pay $10/mo more and get it "free" or pay by the minute. Once set up, what more will you need? Even the "free" tech support will NOT teach you how to search for the best price on hemmorhoid creams or the like, nor will they solve your computer problems for you. It's limited, very limited. Most of the info you need will be on a website anyway and like I said, once you're going, what more will you need? Be sure to look at features and needs. Number of hours vary. Most will have an email account but not all. Personally I think you're better off using something like Yahoo or Gmail since you're not reliant upon the ISP if you decide to change. More reasons but I won't go into them now. BTW, IMO the "accellerator" programs are worthless and surely not worth paying for. Oh, and FYI, most all of the ISPs use many of the same modem pools for access. So frankly, paying AOL's ridiculous charges get you nothing more than a $4/mo ISP as far as internet access. (Although they have some of their own sites you can go to, whoopie-ding, never interested me). I would give a caution though. I'm amazed when I see people afraid to give a CC # to get a service, yet will give them direct access to their bank accounts! At least you have some control with the CC. And you also need to understand that for the low-buck outfits to make it, they can't be bothered chasing people for payment. That's why they require the CC payment. Even writing a check requires someone to process it which costs money.

The West usually gets a pass on such articles because of the high cost of living here. No getting around that. Even the retirement communities cost quite a bit here, due to the high cost of land. Still, it's a great area to live in - we're in the SF Bay Area - and retire in provided you've planned carefully and had a bit of luck. Year-round great weather, diverse cultures and interesting people, fabulous access to outlying areas of interest with enough variety to appeal to almost anyone. But....it takes an above-average income to live here. All that diversity and sophistication comes at a price. OTOH, we have easy transit access, so although we still drive there are many times it's easier to take public transit. And everything is nearby - hospital emergency, museums, state parks for hiking, all the everyday services as well as a wide choice of leisure activities. But you also need to factor in how much living in a more remote area can cost you. Fuel, food, time spent driving to the airport or to see friends/family - all cost you more the further you live from a major city. This is not inconsiderable, especially as one ages and driving becomes more difficult, even impossible under certain conditions. I think the older you get, the more important it is to be around people, rather than isolating oneself.

Hi Tim, I appreciate where you are coming from. Reviews are actually on the professional directory portion of the site, so they (and the directory) should not interfere with your forum experience. They don't appear in the forums. Gardenweb folks have a great deal of experience and knowledge of their local community of home professionals, so I'm just encouraging you guys to write reviews for those that you have worked with. Definitely optional though! :)